Google renames NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook amid AI brand push

Google said NotebookLM is becoming Gemini Notebook while remaining a standalone app, the latest sign that the company wants Gemini to serve as the main identity for its consumer AI products. The move comes as Google threads NotebookLM more tightly into Gemini and Google Search, raising the question of whether this is only a new label or a step toward Gemini becoming the front door for work, research and productivity.

NotebookLM began as one of Google’s more distinctive AI products. Google first introduced it as Project Tailwind at Google I/O in May 2023, and Steven Johnson described it as an experimental “tool for thought” built with Google. The company officially introduced NotebookLM on July 12, 2023, positioning it as a document-grounded research and note-taking assistant that answered questions from a user’s own uploaded sources rather than from the open web. That focus helped the product stand apart from general-purpose chatbots and made it especially useful for students, educators and knowledge workers.

Google has spent the past two years pushing NotebookLM beyond a single web app while keeping the brand visible. The company launched a NotebookLM mobile app at I/O 2025 in May 2025, then added notebooks in Gemini Apps so users could work with NotebookLM notebooks inside the Gemini interface. Google Help now documents notebooks in Gemini Apps, showing that the two products are no longer separate experiences in practice, even if Google still describes NotebookLM as a distinct app.

The rename to Gemini Notebook fits a broader shift across Google’s AI lineup. Google has been moving more products and plans under the Gemini brand, creating a single consumer name across its AI ecosystem instead of a scattered set of product identities. NotebookLM is a useful test case because it already has a clear use case and a loyal audience, but Google is now attaching that reputation to Gemini rather than letting it stand alone.

That makes the change more than cosmetic. Google has continued to promote NotebookLM as a distinct product, including in materials tied to I/O 2026, while also announcing notebooks in Gemini on April 8, 2026 as a way to keep track of projects. Taken together, the launch history, the Gemini integration and the new name suggest Google wants one brand to anchor search, work and productivity features, with NotebookLM’s document-based strengths folded into a larger Gemini umbrella.